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Wednesday Link-Off: Sick Leave

alessandra-ambrosio-lui14-05So I thought I was getting over that little flu or whatever I had this weekend and I started Monday by eating half a piece of toast and losing my breakfast. I think that actually helped me get better because it’s been steady improvement since then. If only the winter weather was so cooperative.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday and I’m under the weather so it’s time for some abbreviated links. Here’s Alessandra Ambrosio.

Bill Cosby was recently accused of sexual assault. Interviews with him are getting awkward now. (NPR)

Are the Republicans using Twitter to get around muddy election laws? (CNN)

And the Republicans are looking to change the electoral college in order to swing as many votes to the GOP’s side. (Think Progress)

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F1 Power Rankings: United States Grand Prix

There are three races left in the season and a maximum of 100 points left on the board for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The pair are separated by only 17 points but Nico needs to sweep the final three races and get some luck if the pair 1-2 every race. A non-top-two finish completely screws up those permutations but a non-top-two finish would almost certainly end Nico’s chances.

There’s a lot of pressure heading into this weekend’s race if you’re running for the championship.

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Sunday Link-Off: The True Story

anais-pouliot-urbanoutfitters14-33There have been two stories dominating the North American news cycle this week. The Americans are trying to sort out the economy and are arguing over how to make money off of corporate taxes. That economic concern is preventing them giving aid to Israel in their battle in Gaza. Even through the stories are on opposite sides of the world, they’re still connected.

Anyway, it’s time for the links. Since it’s a holiday weekend here in Canada, let’s start with a Canadian model to start this post. Here’s Anais Pouliot.

Legalized tax dodging is a billion dollar industry in America. Corporations can dodge taxes but if you’re a person who attempts to dodge taxes, hellfire and brimstone will rain down upon you. (Think Progress)

The Democrats are trying to close that loophole but the GOP say that if tax rates are lowered, they wouldn’t have to close that loophole. Yeah, let’s decrease the revenue from all the corporations and politely ask them to stay to increase our tax base. That makes perfect sense. Idiots! (Washington Post)

And the elected members of the United States government are getting along so well, they can’t even figure out how to deal with the situation in Israel and Gaza. (Politico)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Memorial Day Hangover

kate-bock-gq14-01The one problem with doing linkdumps around holiday weekends is that the internet seems to shut down and it gets harder to find quality links. I’ve got a few links this week but not as many as usual. Hopefully, normal service will resume next time out.

For now, it’s time for the links. Since an American holiday caused these problems, let’s kick things off with Canadian model Kate Bock.

Good news, Toronto! Doug Ford says that Rob Ford is doing much better in rehab and is going to be a brand new man when he returns in a few weeks. (Globe & Mail)

A writer goes through his reasons for changing his mind about reparations to victims of slavery in America. (The Atlantic)

A recent study on the effectiveness of airport security showed that all those TSA scans decease terrorism on airplanes but diverts terrorist attention elsewhere. (Vox)

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Wednesday Link-Off: ‘Murica

nina-agdal-bebe14-01You would think that our Memorial Day edition of the links would be the one with all the America links but I just happen to have a whole pile of them for today’s linkdump. At least they’re sort of interesting.

But just because there are a whole pile of ‘Murica links doesn’t mean that we’re going to lead with an American woman. No, here’s Nina Agdal.

The US Attorney General’s department has charged the Chinese government officials with cyber espionage. Unfortunately, the US Attorney General’s department immediately charged itself with criminal irony. (Time)

The US Department of Defense has a zombie defense plan. Well, I guess it’s better to be prepared than get caught off-guard by the apocalypse. (Foreign Policy)

Gay marriage may not be legal in most of America but most Americans support it. It’s gone from no support to majority support in less than fifty years. (Al Jazeera)

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Wednesday Link-Off: To No One’s Surprise

camille-rowe-victoriassecret14-22I noticed something about this batch of links. A lot of them are articles about things that should be blindingly obvious but some people still can’t quite believe. We should have seen some of these coming but I guess that doesn’t mean that everyone does.

Anyway, it’s now time for the links. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that we lead off the links with Camille Rowe.

Much to no one’s surprise, Sochi has been abandoned now that the Olympics and Paralympics have left town. Tens of billions of dollars down the drain for nothing. Good work, Vlad. (English Russia)

Also much to no one’s surprise, Russia has imposed sanctions against Canadian political players for imposing sanctions against Russian politicians. (Russia Today)

Illegal drug spending in the US is $100 billion. Government spending to combat the drugs trade is $200 billion. Spending on cocaine has plummeted over the last five years and has been replaced by marijuana spending which states are going easier on. It’s funny how law enforcement works (or doesn’t work) in America sometimes. (MarketWatch)

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Sunday Link-Off: Time is Short

rachel-mortenson-fredericks14-01It’s a slightly shortened version of the links today. For some reason, I just couldn’t find much in the way of interesting stories to link. That’s just the risk you run with regular linkdumps. Some days are better than others.

Anyway, let’s get the links going. Here’s returning favourite Rachel Mortenson.

A Toronto judge says there’s a video of Rob Ford inhaling from a glass pipe. Reporters at City Hall asked Mayor Ford what was in the pipe. Jesus Christ! What do you think he was inhaling? (The Globe and Mail)

Russia is answering American sanctions against prominent Russians with sanctions against America’s political elite. (New York Times)

It wasn’t just international relations hurt by Ed Snowden’s NSA revelations. A number of US tech companies were hurt financially by news that the NSA was accessing their data. (Times of India)

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Sunday Link-Off: Happy New Year!

luana-mourato-moonbasa13-06And here we are for a set of the links and the first set of links of 2014. Well, okay. We had Wednesday’s year-in-review but does that really count? Anyhow, it’s time for the Sunday links. Let’s start a new year off with a new face. Here’s Brazilian model Luana Mourato.

A recent poll says that most Canadians aren’t happy with the direction of the country. The next election is shaping up to be very interesting. (The Globe and Mail)

No one is happy with The Affordable Care Act. The right hates it because they hate the government doing anything affecting citizens. The left hates it because it doesn’t do enough. (New York Times)

Speaking of the political right, 2013 was a big year for shaming women. That’s something that should change. (Al Jazeera America)

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25 New Reasons To Be Thankful For America

Today is Thanksgiving in America. Now, there are lots of reasons to be thankful for our neighbours to the south. There’s the day of football (even if the Cowboys are playing). There’s the big discounts on Black Friday. And they even Rickrolled the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. In our American Thanksgiving tradition, here are 25 more of the great women of the United States. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Do as I Say, Not as I Do

camille-rowe-victoriassecret13-03You know, I almost forgot that I had to do the links for today. I’ve spent the last couple of days playing WRC 4 for review and WWE 2K14 just for fun that was slightly distracted. Well, we’re here now so I might as well occupy part of your morning. So let’s start with Camille Rowe.

It’s highly unlikely that Hilary Clinton won’t run for president but if she doesn’t, who will step up as the Democratic nominee. (Washington Post)

American education has a reputation for being poor but benchmark testing shows that some of it is fairly good but other states have terrible education. (The Atlantic)

European leaders are upset that the Americans are spying on them. So why are they shunning NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden? (Tech Dirt)

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